Greetings in Spanish

Teaching children a second language in the early years of life is such an advantage to fluency in their later years. Since young children are already acquiring their first language, it is much easier for them to pick up on a second language that is being spoken around them. I have a 6 year old daughter who I’ve been speaking Spanish to for years. Although she understands a lot of what I say to her in Spanish, she needs more vocabulary practice. As I work with her to improve her comprehension and fluency, it is my pleasure to share some of my most fun, practical, and successful strategies.
Let’s start by speaking just a little Spanish everyday. An easy way to incorporate the language would be to use greetings. Here are some of the most common:

Hello = Hola
It seems a little obvious, but we can keep it very simple. Once we've mastered "hola" we can build to greet each other depending on the time of day:

Good Morning = Buenos Días
This greeting can be used from the early morning until noon.

Good Afternoon = Buenas Tardes
Hispanics use this phrase from noon, all afternoon and through what we consider the evening (5:00p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

Good Night = Buenas Noches
Can be used as a greeting at night or even a goodbye right before bed.

Using these phrases in context help children to know the meanings. Asking the child to repeat the phrase helps with pronunciation as well. Encouraging children to use Spanish then rewarding them with praise makes language learning fun.